The assailants also fired two rounds in the air to scare onlookers and then fled the spot.

“The entire sequence was captured by the CCTV cameras and it led to the identification of the accused. We apprehended and questioned the assailants thoroughly,” DCP (Southeast)P Karunakaran said.

Police said the assailants own kiosks and makeshift shops in the market. They claimed they attacked Sachin because he was extorting money on a weekly basis. Police said they were still verifying this claim.

Karunakaran said the assailants told police that they were beaten up if they didn’t pay.

Tired of being at the receiving end, they hatched a plot to eliminate him. “The assailants confessed that they planned the killing over two days and arranged knives and pistols. One of the assailants contacted his friend in Haridwar and arranged country-made pistols which were used to scare the onlookers,” he said.

“We are checking if Sachin had a past police record. But we have still not found any official complaint or any FIR registered against him,” the officer said.

Denying all allegations, Sachin’s cousin Ravi said, “He never fought with anyone. I can never believe that he was extorting money from shopowners in the market. He was the only son and is survived by his father, who works as a scrapdealer, and six sisters. That day he had gone to meet one his friends in the market, when these six, who were under the influence of alcohol, cornered him. They had come to kill one of Sachin’s friends, my cousin was unlucky. When they did not find his friend, they attacked him.”

“There is no criminal case against him. No one ever complained that he misbehaved with him. He used to study and help his father in the business,” Ravi said.

Police said they were verifying the age of all assailants as some are suspected to be juveniles. Statements of eyewitnesses are also being recorded.

Police have registered a case. “We are also verifying the claims of the assailants. The matter is under investigation. We have sent the body for a post-mortem examination,” the officer said.